Residents Question Plan For Assisted Living Facility

GLASTONBURY — A discussion on courtyards turned into a lengthy debate Monday on whether an assisted-living facility is appropriate for a northern Glastonbury neighborhood.

More than 100 people crowded into a zoning board of appeals hearing Monday to voice their displeasure over the proposed facility. It would be built on the south side of Manchester Road near the Village at Minnechaug subdivision.

The project is being proposed by Assisted Living Services Northeast and Pioneer Realty Co. It would house people with Alzheimer's disease or those who can no longer care for themselves.

The proposal has caused consternation in the area, where residents have formed a group called Save Our Neighborhood to protest the project. They believe the two-story facility would be too large and too well-lit and could ruin the rural character of Minnechaug Mountain.

Zoning appeals board members voted 4-1 Monday night to allow construction of two enclosed courtyards in the proposed facility, emphasizing that their decision focuses narrowly on that variance and not on the merits or drawbacks of the entire project.

The next step: the town plan and zoning commission will be asked later this spring to decide on the special permit to allow or deny construction of the facility.

Technically, Monday's hearing was supposed to focus specifically on the developers' request for the courtyard variance.

But several residents said they felt compelled to talk about the entire project anyway, saying the courtyards are part of the overall issue of whether the facility is appropriate for the area.

``I find it very difficult to look at a variance for a courtyard without considering the whole structure that encompasses it,'' said resident Jim Todd, whose property is two lots away from the proposed facility.

Developers want the enclosed courtyards so residents can enjoy the outdoors without wandering away. Courtyards are prohibited under town zoning rules unless the developers can show that they would suffer a hardship, a standard that the residents do not believe was met Monday night.